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Granite City Residents Charged In Recent Battery Cases

1 year ago
GRANITE CITY – A man and woman from Granite City face felony charges of battery and domestic battery in separate criminal cases. Skyla M. Soomro, 18, of Granite City, was charged on June 4, 2025 with two Class 3 felony counts of aggravated battery. Soomro allegedly struck the victim in the head with a glass bottle, causing a laceration to the victim’s head which required multiple stitches to close. The Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to deny Soomro’s pretrial release from custody. According to the petition, the victim told authorities Soomro entered a room and struck her with the glass bottle “unprovoked.” A witness supported the victim’s statement, and Soomro reportedly “admitted to the offense, saying the victim owed her money.” According to a report of Soomro’s criminal history, she was under an active Order of Protection at the time of this incident. The protective order was issued in

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State Police To Conduct Distracted Driving Enforcement In Madison, St. Clair Counties

1 year ago
COLLINSVILLE – Illinois State Police (ISP) Troop 8 Commander, Captain Casey Faro, announces the ISP will conduct Distracted Driving Enforcement Program patrols in Madison and St. Clair counties during June. This program allows ISP to focus on distracted driving laws to prevent traffic deaths and serious injury crashes. Distracted Driving is doing another activity that takes the driver’s attention away from driving. Distractions can increase a driver’s risk of being in an accident. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: - Over 3,000 people annually are killed in crashes involving distracted driving. - Reading a text message cantake a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of five seconds. - Nearly 1 in every 10 injury crashes involved a distracted driver. Officers will be on the lookout for drivers who disobey Illinois’ distracted driving laws. - All drivers are prohibited from reading, sending, or receiving text messages or

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Duckworth, Warren and Colleagues Demand Investigation After Uncovering DOGE Employee Gained Access to Sensitive Education Department Data

1 year ago
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and fellow Senate Democratic colleagues in calling on the Acting Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to open an investigation into new information obtained by her office revealing that DOGE may have gained access to “two of FSA’s internal systems: Financial Management System (FMS) and Partner Connect,” in addition to sensitive borrower data. Following DOGE’s “takeover” of ED, the Senators opened an investigation into the matter. In response, ED disclosed that DOGE supported a review of FSA’s contracts, and to conduct this review, ED granted “one employee read-only access” to two of FSA’s internal systems, which both hold sensitive personal information for people on Title IV loan and grant programs. “Because of the Department’s refusal to provide full and complete information, the full

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SIUE PD Prepares Officers with Training that Applies to Reportedly One-Fourth of the Population

1 year ago
EDWARDSVILLE – As long as there are instances of people dealing with post-traumatic stress, depression and more becoming increasingly intertwined with responses from law enforcement, then it will remain critical for police officers to be properly trained in sensory inclusivity, according to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Dominic Dorsey. Dorsey, Director of SIUE Office for Accessible Campus Community and Equitable Student Support (ACCESS) and President of SIUE’s Black Faculty and Staff Association, presented the topic of sensory inclusivity to the SIUE Police Department. “During a conversation with Director Dorsey, regarding how the SIUE PD could better serve our diverse community, he mentioned sensory inclusivity and the great training provided by KultureCity ,” said Patrol Officer Maria Ferrari. The department is in the process of obtaining sensory inclusion first responder certification from KultureCity. “Sensory inclusivity

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Steve Bannon Is Right About Elon Musk

1 year ago
Today on TAP: Trump has threatened to revoke Musk’s SpaceX government contracts. It would be better if he followed Bannon’s advice and nationalized SpaceX.
Robert Kuttner

Duckworth, Durbin Help Introduce Bicameral Bill to Repeal the Gun Industry's Legal Liability Shield

1 year ago
WASHINGTON, D.C. – During Gun Violence Awareness Month, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) and U.S. Representatives Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Jason Crow (D-CO), Dwight Evans (D-PA) and Mike Thompson (D-CA) and more than 80 Members of Congress in introducing the bicameral Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act, legislation to ensure that victims of gun violence have their day in court and that negligent gun companies and gun sellers are not shielded from liability when they disregard public safety. The bill would repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), passed by Congress in 2005, which gives the gun industry a unique and unjustifiable legal liability shield that protects gun manufacturers from lawsuits. “The needless gun violence that too many Illinoisans—and Americans across the country—experience

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The TikTok Ban’s Third Snooze Button Proves It Was Always Bullshit

1 year ago
Remember when TikTok was supposedly an urgent national security threat that required emergency legislation? Funny how that “emergency” keeps getting 75-day extensions. Trump is reportedly about to hit the snooze button on TikTok enforcement for the third time, extending a deadline that was supposedly so urgent that Congress had to rush through legislation ignoring basic […]
Mike Masnick

Daily Deal: The Ultimate Python Programmer And Data Bundle

1 year ago
The Ultimate Python Programmer and Data Bundle has 9 courses that cover a variety of data science and Python related skills and tools. Start with learning the basics and move into learning how to use Keras, PyTorch, R, and more for data analysis and visualization. There’s more and it’s all on sale for $40. Note: […]
Daily Deal

Godfrey Parks Getting Extra 'No Smoking' Signage

1 year ago
GODFREY – Godfrey park visitors may notice more “no smoking” signs in the near future. Concerns were raised at last week’s Public Safety Committee meeting about people smoking near playgrounds and potentially exposing children to second-hand smoke. Local resident and physician Katie Sherer said the issue is especially urgent as cases of asthma and other respiratory conditions in children are on the rise. “Anything you smell, your body has to process and will deliver your lungs, so even the smell of the cigarettes and the non-smells of the vapes, are dangerous – especially for children with respiratory issues,” Sherer said. “I’ve seen a growing number of kids with asthma, allergies, and other respiratory conditions that would really benefit from just having no exposure whatsoever.” One possible solution she and trustees discussed were “smoking huts,” though Sherer said they would have to be placed away from

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